Turkey has submitted draft amendments to its Capital Markets Law that would classify crypto gains as capital market income and impose a 10% withholding tax on realized profits each quarter. The proposal also introduces a 0.03% levy on the sales value of every crypto transaction and grants the president power to adjust the profit tax rate between 0% and 20%. Under the plan, crypto trades that pay the new tax would be exempt from VAT, and the rules would take effect two months after official publication if approved.

On Wednesday, South Korea's Kospi and Kosdaq indexes each sank more than 10% in morning trading, forcing the Korean Stock Exchange to trigger circuit breakers and halt trading. Regional equity markets across Japan, Hong Kong, China and Thailand also dropped sharply, while surging oil prices and geopolitical tensions in the Middle East added to investor risk aversion. Crypto markets have fallen this year but showed a milder intraday reaction compared with global stocks.

Gold (XAU/USD) is staging a critical recovery on March 4, 2026, trading near $5,169 as the escalating US-Israel-Iran conflict fuels a historic safe-haven flight. With "Operation Epic Fury" threatening the Strait of Hormuz and a technical symmetrical triangle in play, discover if bullion can shatter its $5,589 all-time high or if a stronger US Dollar will cap the rally.

WTI Crude Oil (USOIL) has surged to $75.47 as of March 4, 2026, gaining over 12% since the US-Israel-Iran conflict intensified. With Iraq slashing production by 1.5 million bpd and tankers facing extreme risks in the Strait of Hormuz, analysts are warning of a potential spike toward $140 if supply routes are fully blocked. Discover the technical breakout levels and the fundamental "perfect storm" driving today's energy market.

Bitwise chief investment officer Matt Hougan said a recent Israel-Iran flare-up showed how quickly capital can move into 24/7 on-chain markets such as Hyperliquid when traditional exchanges are closed. He noted that tokenized crude oil, gold and prediction markets saw heavy weekend activity and now expects traditional finance to adopt blockchain-based rails sooner than his previous five to 10 year timeline. Hougan added that investors seeking to stay competitive may need to use stablecoin wallets and crypto derivatives venues while the NYSE works on its own around-the-clock tokenization platform.

On Tuesday, Ark Invest led by Cathie Wood purchased about $4.09 million in Coinbase shares and roughly $12.06 million in Robinhood shares through its ETFs. The trades came as both COIN and HOOD declined alongside broader U.S. equity indices amid heightened geopolitical tensions.

Indiana Governor Mike Braun signed House Bill 1042 into law on March 3 after the measure cleared both chambers on Feb. 25, authorizing specific state retirement and savings plans to include at least one crypto investment product via a self-directed brokerage option. The law mandates that plan administrators provide access to crypto-linked offerings by July 1, 2027, while also prohibiting special state and local taxes or fees on lawful crypto payments and self-custodied assets.

On Tuesday, major U.S. equity benchmarks recovered from steep intraday declines, with the S&P 500 ending 0.9% lower after an earlier 2.5% plunge as conflict involving Iran and a spike in oil prices unnerved investors. Bitcoin traded around $68,000 after briefly touching $70,000 on Monday, while Brent crude surged above $87 per barrel and rate-cut expectations were pushed further out.